The present invention relates to disposable absorbent articles, and more particularly to a disposable absorbent article having improved containment and gasketing at the waist.
Disposable absorbent articles have been designed and constructed for various purposes. For example, some have been designed for use as diapers for babies, some as training pants for younger children in the potty-training stage, and some as incontinence products for adults. One of the most important features of any disposable absorbent article is that it should contain liquid and other waste material within the article itself. Failure to do so results in leakage and consequent wetting of clothes.
Generally, leakage will occur at the leg openings and the waist opening. In order to prevent leakage at these openings, stretched elastic members have been attached at the leg and waist openings in order to provide an elastic gasketing effect about the legs and waist of the wearer. Current absorbent articles include various designs incorporating these elastic members with the intent of containing liquid and waste matter. They have not, to date, been entirely successful in this area.
For example, if the wearer of a disposable absorbent article urinates at a flow rate or in a quantity that exceeds the absorption rate or absorption capacity of the article, the urine most often will pool at the leg and waist openings. Pooling at the leg and waist openings very often results in urine leakage. This leakage will occur more often at the leg openings than at the waist opening, especially during the daytime. However, when the wearer is in the prostrate position, such as when the wearer is lying down asleep, leakage is just as likely to occur at the waist as at the legs.
Thus, there still exists a need for improving waste containment at the wearer's waist.